Sowing Seeds of Diversity

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In Tucson, Arizona the staff of Native Seeds/SEARCH is preserving traditional crops and farming methods of the Southwest and northern Mexico. What started in 1983 as an informal seed trading network by Native Americans from the Tohono O'odham nation has become a 44,000-member organization. Not only do they offer an extensive seed catalog of native desert crops, they're involved in projects such as Desert Food for Diabetes, promoting the use of traditional plant foods to combat adult-onset diabetes, which affects 60 percent of the Native American population.

Native Seeds/SEARCH's most recent project is a Cultural Memory Bank, addressing more than just the loss of genetic diversity but the traditional knowledge and lore that fades with the extinction of each crop. As they interview farmers about how a crop is planted, harvested, and cooked, they're also recording its stories and songs. The information will then be compiled into a database (with the farmer deciding if access should be restricted to tribal members or open to the public) and made available on CD-ROM.

Many organizations maintain seed banks where endangered seeds can be stored and cataloged, but don't underestimate the power of the individual. Our backyards hold just as much potential as centers of genetic diversity. "A seed bank can be as simple as a garden," says the Rodale Institute's John Sabella. Seeds are only viable for a limited time, so they must be planted and new seed saved regularly.

"Seed banks are not the solution in and of themselves," says RAM's Hope Shand. "There has to be on-farm conservation, maintenance of the seed on site." And, seed banks are not infallible. Whether due to power failures or financial difficulties, "we've seen the destruction of gene banks all over the world," adds Shand. "We can never depend solely on seed banks to keep genetic diversity alive."

What to Save First?

So now that you have more varieties than you ever imagined to choose from, which do you grow first? If you look at the Seed Savers Exchange Garden Inventory, you'll find statistics showing the rates of decline and availability for each variety. Buy those that are declining rapidly. Buy the seeds that have only been available from a single source since 1981. Buy those from Asian and European companies, which are often only available for one year. These are the seeds we have to save first. Beyond that, buy and grow and share as many varieties as you can fit in your backyard.

After your garden is buzzing with open-pollinated foods and flowers, the next step is to save your own seed. The process itself is simple, but garden planning will take a little extra effort. Different varieties within the same species may cross, producing offspring like hybrids. To keep your seeds pure, you need to select the right plants and plant combinations. Pollination particulars and methods for seed cleaning and storage are discussed in detail in Seed to Seed by Suzanne Ashworth (Chelsea Green, 1995).

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